Time: 1979 Place: St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

A small, round object caught my eye. Now, 30 years later, I have a houseful of hedgehogs.

About the Weblog

This weblog is mainly for hedgehog lovers and mostly for fun. At first, I collected hedgehogs because I thought they were cute. When I began to learn more about the little creatures, I found they are becoming endangered in the wild due to habitat destruction and accidental death by cars and farm machinery. My wish is to bring some happiness and amusement to others who also love hedgehogs. In addition, I hope that more people will learn about the plight of these harmless little animals, and do what they can to protect them.

Visit the British Hedgehog Preservation Society to learn more about wild hedgehogs.

If you are interested in a site discussing both wild and domesticated hedgehogs, visit
The International Hedgehog Association.

My sweet, sweet friend Rebecca has designed two new and delightful hedgehog fabrics for her Spoonflower fabric shop. I can't decide which is my favorite: Hedgehog Dreams or Hedgehog Dreams in Color, but I am thinking about what I can do with both. I love the originality and detail!

My son tries so hard to find hedgehogs I don't already have. This year for Christmas, he went online shopping around the world. The sweet little hedgehog ornament is local I'm pretty sure, but the others came from far and wide. The stylish notepad is from Israel, and the clever wooden hedgehog from the Netherlands is assembled from a stack of coasters. The cute hedgehog tape came from Hong Kong, and the adorable little hedgehog necklace is from Korea. I love them all, and I really appreciate the effort it took!

The hedgehog carved from a piece of wood is quite original. My niece is a person who likes to shop at craft fairs, and she finds some lovely gifts for me. The hedgehog holding a leaf is from some sweet friends. I'm sure I'll find something summery for him to put in his leaf. It's so nice to be remembered by friends and family members at Christmas!

I still have a few things from Christmas that are waiting to be posted, and it's already March! I found this pretty blue makeup bag by Unionbay and couldn't resist the woodland creatures. The Christmas notepad was in the same store, so I couldn't leave it behind.

These sweet llamas looked at me with their big eyes, and now they are part of my menagerie. They are both made by Douglas Toys and are unbelievably soft!

It's so wonderful to have two sweet sisters-in-law. They always think of me when they see hedgehogs. Imagine that! The beautiful girl above, named Diana, has an expressive face. Her little friend in the shape of a mug is just perfect for hot chocolate on a cold January day. If I'm correct, they are from Pier One.

These adorable kissing hedgehog salt shakers are a gift from my other great sister-in-law. I love the toothpick holder, the soap, and the tiny hedgehogs she gave me. I'm truly fortunate!

Some of the sweetest girls I know gave me these warm and cozy hedgehog mittens. They are so soft! They make a great resting place for these frolicking hedgehog ornaments. The sledding and skiing boys came form Anthropologie last year. They have been joined by a snowball-throwing girl I found in Colorado this past summer.

Jan Brett'sChristmas Trolls was a gift from the grandchildren. There are hedgehogs on almost every page. I love her books and artwork!

This trio of holiday hedgehogs is wishing you a Merry Christmas! As always during the holidays, I have welcomed many more hedgehogs into the house. The fluffy guy in the middle came from a Meijer Store on a recent visit to Chicago. The two fine fellows on either side were gifts from very thoughtful friends.

These festive little tea towels were waiting for me in an Evanston, Illinois shop, and I just couldn't leave them there. My sweet sister-in-law gave me the little Santa hedgehog ornament for Christmas. Much more to come . . .

This beautiful figurine by Border Fine Arts has a story behind it. In the early 80's my husband and I were in London at Harrods. I bought one hedgehog figurine but decided not to get the fox at the time. In later years, we looked for it again when we were in England but never found it because it was retired. This year for my birthday, he gave me the fox and hedgehog. I was so surprised! He said he had always regretted not buying it the first time we saw it. Now it's even more special!

Another birthday gift was this bejeweled candle holder hedgehog which goes well with fall decor. This summer I found the sporty hedgehog on wheels in charming Stockbridge, Massachusetts, the home of the wonderful Norman Rockwell Museum.

I just couldn't resist this fall tablecloth, towel, pot holders, and adorable fox bowl. They are from, of all places, Walmart! So bright and cheerful, I used them at a fall tea party with two sweet little girls and their equally sweet mother.

There is a wonderful little shop in town called The Thicket where I found this cute fall hedgehog and his pumpkin. The woodland stickers are from, again, Walmart.

Today I'm not even mentioning hedgehogs. I haven't given up my adoration of them, but I want to feature some art by a creative and talented friend of mine. She has recently opened shops on Etsy and Spoonflower to present her original paintings and drawings, prints, and fabrics. The shops are "RebeccaGreenArts" and "Designs by rebeccagreenarts". Rebecca is the featured artist for the month of September at tea bar and bites, a popular place to dine in our city.

I'm showing three of my favorites today, which are available on Spoonflower: "firefly nights" above, "cicadas" and "cicada hum" below. I love her work, and I'm sure many others will too!

My Mother's Day gifts are always so sweet and original. The artsy little metal hedgehog tray is made by Studio Oh! I love it so much! Sitting beside it is a precious mug by Two Can Art. My thoughtful cousin from Wisconsin is full of surprises. She brought this along on her recent visit. I love it too!

During a recent visit, my cousin from Wisconsin surprised me with the sweetest, most adorable German outfits for my favorite hedgehogs. The detail in the sewing and design is charming. The hedgehogs are made by the Senger Tierpuppen company. I'm a little worried that they have quit making their wonderful handmade dolls. I can't find their website right now. There are still Senger Tierpuppen stuffed animals on Amazon and a few other sites, but they look machine-made and they don't wear clothes.

Alfie and Eliza are fortunate to find they have new friends--also as cute as they can be! My cousin liked them so much, she found some for herself!

This pretty hedgehog planter by Creative Co-op is not supposed to be used for serving food, so how about bright yellow hedgehog socks? Both of these were gifts from my son and daughter-in-law.

I am a bit behind on my posting of gifts, as you can tell by the much-appreciated 2017 calendar from my sister-in-law. A dear friend gave me the book of notes by Wrendale Designs and the cute little cork board by Kikkerland, two great companies for unique hedgehog items.

This "Hoppy Hedgehog" by Ganz made my Easter happy. I found him in Naples, Florida on a recent trip. Below are some new chicks I collected this year, here and there. I especially love the two made from hydrangea-like blossoms.

I had an Easter tea party for two sweet little girls where we dyed eggs and had a great time.

Of course, Alfie, Eliza, and friends were there to join in the Easter fun.

I'm so happy to have this wonderful gift from a sweet friend of mine. This adorable and useful green bowl is decorated with trees, leaves, and hedgehogs! It's from the English company Mason and Cash, and I love it!

My sister-in-law, who travels the world, found this wooden hedgehog adorned with Baltic-area amber in St. Petersburg. She also gave me the pretty pot hanger. My other sister-in-law gave me the tiny guy from Little Critterz. My sisters-in-law are the best!

These two tiny hedgehog ornaments are heading down the slopes. They didn't make it here in time for the Christmas tree, but there's always next year. I found them online after being unable to locate them in Anthropologie.

Hedgehogs come from the most diverse sources. I found the black ornament at Walmart, and the sparkly, gold ring by Kate Spade was a gift from a sweet friend of mine. I recently saw this little girls' shirt, by Jessica Simpson, hanging on the rack at Dillard's. No matter where, it always makes me happy to see a hedgehog!

Before winter is over, I want to show some of the sweet, snowy hedgehogs I got for Christmas. This pair came from different places, but they seem to go together. The little one is from Galena, IL, and the skier was a gift from my sister-in-law. I'm pretty sure it came from Pier One.

I'm not sure where the feathery little guy came from, but he was a gift from my son and daughter-in-law, and the sparkly pine-cone fellow is also most likely from Pier One. They're all festive additions to my collection of Christmas hedgehogs.

Time has flown this holiday season, and I am way behind on my posting. I didn't want to let Christmas be a distant memory when I posted some of the darling gifts I received this year. The fluffy mittens came from Hallmark, and the funny fellow with the red bow tie was apparently hanging around Tuesday Morning. Both were gifts from a sweet friend. The little ear-muffed hedgehog reached out to me at Trader Johns in Galena, IL. I had to bring him home along with the pine-cone-backed hedgehog with the big smile. Happy New Year to all!

These three little hedgehogs are ready for Christmas. This summer, I made the journey to Frankenmuth, MI, and Bronnner’s, the Mecca of Christmas Shops. The enormity of the store is hard to describe, but I’m there for only one reason—hedgehog ornaments. As usual, I was not disappointed. The fellow wearing a scarf and toasting the season is made by 180 Degrees. The tiny white hedgehog donning a green stocking cap is from Department 56. The beautiful Mecki-like blown glass hedgehog was made in Poland by Hanco Glass Factory.

Also new to the hedgehog Christmas tree this year are three more glass ornaments from Bronner’s. It appears that Bronner’s is having ornaments manufactured to sell in the store. The unusual pine cone-shaped hedgehog hangs down from its back toes. The happy hedgehog with the big smile is 5” tall. The glass globe ornament has a picture of an African hedgehog on the front and a story printed on the back. Finally, there is a wooden hedgehog that is carved from a pruning of the Bethlehem Olive Tree according to Carver’s Art LLC. The poor little hedgehog Christmas tree is going to struggle to hold all the ornaments I’ve collected over the years, but I love them all!

The Roundabout Hedgehog Journey

Thanks to a chance meeting, my book found its illustrator. In Stratford-upon-Avon, my husband and I met a British man who happens to live in the US. We eventually reunited in Florida, where I met his wife Nancy. During our first conversation, she said, "I've always wanted to illustrate a children's book." Luckily, I had written one!
VIEW AND ORDER MY BOOK at happyhedgehogs.com